Tropical Storm Chantal was hurrying across the eastern Caribbean on Tuesday at 7 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center advisory.

Chantal is moving toward the north-northwest near 28 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue with a gradual decrease in forward speed during the next couple of days.

On the forecast track, the center of Chantal will pass south of Puerto Rico on Tuesday night, and is expected to be near or over the Dominican Republic by Wednesday afternoon. The storm is expected to be over the southeastern and central Bahamas on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. These winds are confined to a small area to the east of the storm's center. Tropical Storm Chantal is expected to be near hurricane strength before reaching Hispaniola.